DJ Fracture presents Drum and Bass in Ableton Live

Ever wanted to know the entire process of building a drum and bass track by one of the UK's most talented producers? In this set of tutorials, Astrophonica label owner DJ Fracture takes you through each stage of working on a track, beginning with setting up the session, creating the beats, bassline and main lead parts, to building the arrangement, breakdowns, intro and outro, right through to tweaking the final mix.

All of the techniques are shown using Live's built-in instruments and effects, with the main parts created using Drum Racks, Sampler and Analog. As well as improving your knowledge of Live's instruments and effects, the course will teach you new ways to compose and produce music, helping you gain a fresh perspective and taking your abilities to new heights.

The course is presented in a series of online videos, with accompanying Live sessions to work to, as well as more than £15 worth of additional drum and bass samples, supplied by our sponsor Loopmasters. Don't miss out on this essential guide to drum and bass production for one of the most popular DAWs on the market today!

SAMPLE MODULE - Excerpt from Module 2 on Creating Beats

This movie is the first half of lesson 2 on creating beats.

Module Details

Introduction and Setup

Briefly covers some tips for setting up, including the addition of certain effects to the master bus to help provide visual references whilst creating the mix.

Beats

Shows how to construct a drum and bass break, by slicing samples, re-sequencing drums and editing velocities and timing to refine the groove. Then, processing each drum, as well as all drums together, to make the beats nice and chunky.

Bass

Shows how to create a fat bass line, beginning with sample selection and melodic composition, then moving through to processing with various effects. Also teaches a skillful technique of splitting the bass line across multiple tracks so that unique areas of the frequency spectrum can be isolated.

Making the Hook

Demonstrates how to make a catchy hook, meaning a main riff that runs through the track to provide further melodic and rhythmic interest. A MIDI clip is created for the part, after which various MIDI and effects parameters are edited to radically alter the sound.

Arrangement Part I

Begins constructing the arrangement by recording in the main sections from session view and copying and pasting to get the basic song structure in place.

Arrangement Part II

Continues looking at arranging, by adding more percussion and SFX to sections to ease transitions and improve the mix. Also gets into parameter automation, to show how parts can be developed throughout the track.

Breakdown

Shows how to create a breakdown, by adding new transitional lead parts and FX, then how these parts can be processed to create a contrasting spacious section, which builds towards the main drop.

Intro and Outro

Works on the beginning and end of the track, showing how various parts can be introduced and then used to take the track to its conclusion.

Refining the Final Mix

Shows some final checks for polishing the sound and making sure the mix is where it should be, in terms of levels, EQ and other effects.